A knit shirt, your embroidery machine, and an expressive embroidery design make-up an ideal trio to create an artistic tee. In 2-hours of time, I was able to makeover a plain knit shirt into a shirt with designer details. For those of you who are computerized embroidery machine owners, this is a fast transformation!

The transformation—both embroidery and neckline modification—is compliments of one embroidery. I used the CD from Designer Necklines and choose the embroidery for the Peak-a-boo Neckline. You’ll notice that neckline shapes, the artistic embroidery, and a V- Neck stitching line form the transformation. This is one robust embroidery!

First Step

1. Hoop Fusible Polymesh, fusible side up in the 5″ x 7″ embroidery hoop. Attach the hoop to the embroidery unit.

2. Stitch the first thread color directly on the hooped stabilizer—it is the Perfect-Placement Embroidery.

3. Position the T-shirt along the Perfect-Placement Embroidery.

• Remove the hoop from the embroidery unit and place the hoop at the narrow end of an ironing board.

• Position the T-shirt over the end of the ironing board. Match the neckline and center front to one of the Perfect-Placement Stitching lines and center front marking on the stabilizer. Gently press the shirt to the stabilizer. A mini-iron is an ideal pressing tool to use within a hoop. Another option to attach the T-shirt to the stabilizer is to spray a fabric adhesive on the hooped stabilizer and then position the T-shirt.

• Cut a 5″ x 6″ rectangle for the facing. Fuse lightweight interfacing to the wrong side. Or, cut the facing from Stretch Mesh—a lightweight spandex fabric. For my project, I chose the stretch mesh, yet have used a cotton facing for other designer neckline transformations.

• Pressmark the vertical center of the facing.

• Position the facing on top of the T-shirt, right sides together. Align the center press and extend the facing 1/2″ above the neckline. Tape the facing to the shirt along the

7. Embroider the last thread color, the V-shape stitching. Remove the T-shirt from the hoop.

8. Carefully cut down the center of the T-shirt, taking care to stop cutting just before the stitching at the point of the V.

• Turn under the top of the facing; pin.

• Fold the facing to the wrong side. Pin the facing from the right side.

• Edgestitch 1/4″ from the V-shape.

• If using Stretch Mesh, trim away the excess fabric.

Hint: If the stretch mesh peaks around the corner, try using a permanent marker in the color of the fabric to hide the appearance of the mesh. I keep a collection of permanent markers in my sewing room to camouflage all sorts of unexpected appearances!